Written in Blood
by Chet-the-predalien
Summary: And then there is the moment where you realize that fate, the world, and the universe, doesn't care what you deserve. All are bound to the Wheel. A look at what happens when a hero falls.
1. Chapter 1

It's funny, because I remember a time when it seemed that the Sci Fi channel (I refuse to call it Scyfy because I'm a stubborn idiot that way) wasn't airing anything but Stargate Sg-1 reruns, that fucking Battlestar Gallactica remake and promos for Caprica, so it seems perfectly natural that now that I have an interest in the former I'm lucky if I can catch the final fifteen minutes of an episode. This story takes place during season ten because it's the only season I'm all that familiar with and because I'm planning on writing a scene in which Adria fights a fire demon while dual wielding two battle axes that are named Havoc and Malice, and I will it get into the story at any cost. I know a lot of you guys might be thinking that these two series may not fit together, which is kind of (very) important when you're doing a crossover fic, but I think I might have found a way to fit in The Elder God, his Wheel of Fate and a lot of other LOK mythology with Stargate's Ascension stuff.

And so I can write a scene in which Adria fights a fire demon while wielding two battle axes that are named Havoc and Malice.

And in the end, we need more stories in which that happens.

* * *

The Pillars had fallen to the Ori.

Of the members of SG-1 who had been present the battle between Kain's forces and the Ori Soldiers; it was perhaps only Teal'c who immediately understood the significance of the battle that had just been lost. Throughout this tiny blue planet, there was one single belief, one undeniable truth that united all of the people of Nosgoth, that the Pillars were the embodiment of the world's soul. That the entire planet's health was tied to those amazing edifices, which rose so high into the air they were visible from space. When SG-1 had first stumbled upon the planet nearly six years before they had been amazed by them, nine columns of cracked marble, each one marked with a strange eldritch symbol that even Daniel Jackson had been unable to decipher. They had been the first of many wonders that the team had encountered during their first expedition to the planet.

Nosgoth was the first planet in the entire Milky Way that had offered up anything more than token resistance to the Ori. The people of this wretched, dying world fought the Ori like starving, rabid dogs, and through their magic (Even Daniel Jackson had given up trying to correct everyone after some of the things he had seen), numbers, and sheer vicious and stubborn will they would not fall so easily. Still, it seemed that Nosgoth would fall as all the same, The Pillars, a symbol of hope for all of it's people, no matter what banner they lived under, had been captured by the enemy. Even if the battle had somehow been won it seemed inevitable. Nosgoth's people would never convert to Origin, but that didn't mean that their planet couldn't be devastated by the Ori battlecruiser that currently hung in orbit.

In fact, Teal'c had often wondered why this hadn't been done already, the Prior that seemed to be in charge of the whole campaign on the planet had apparently voiced his desire to see every man, woman, and child on this miserable heretical planet burnt to ash for their blasphemous ways on numerous occasions, but he still refrained from simply targeting the major population centers on the planet with the battlecruiser's main weapon. Instead the Ori forces had been pouring far more resources than they usually did to take control of the planet. Perhaps they were looking for something specific, maybe Adria believed that this was the location of the Sangraal, or maybe they simply intended to steal the secrets of magic from the populace. Either way, the restraint, however reluctant, was the only thing keeping the planet wide resistance from being completely toppled.

But now that the Pillars of Nosgoth were under Ori control, it seemed to Teal'c that it was only a matter of time before the planet as a whole surrendered. Why they had not been more heavily defended was anyone's guess, perhaps they had been, and whatever guardians that were in place had simply already been overwhelmed by the time Kain's militia had arrived to do battle. Maybe the Circle of Nine, powerful sorcerers who drew their powers from the Pillars and because of this fact wielded a great deal of political power on the planet had simply never thought of it. Judging from the bitter complaints Teal'c had heard both times he was on the planet it seemed that a great deal of the population was dissatisfied with the current Circle, considering them corrupt or incompetent. Or both.

But there was no doubt who the blame for the loss would be heaped upon.

His name was Kain.

At thirty years old, Kain was considered middle aged to the common folk of Nosgoth; even among the upper class life expectancy was fifty to sixty years old. And Kain, who never failed to remind even his closest friends of his noble heritage, was definitely upper class. The Nobleman had made a name for himself at a young age, when at twenty years old he slaughtered a pack of werewolves who had terrorized his hometown of Coorhagen for generations. A mage of no small skill, he had further cemented his reputation as a bloodthirsty, ruthless barbarian during his service in King Ottmar of Willendorf's army. Kain may not have been known throughout the land, but when his legend did spread, it painted a picture of him as a brutal, vicious monster with an unparallel appetite for combat, money, and sex.

At first SG-1 had found it difficult to reconcile the man with his reputation. Kain had a short temper and a sharp tongue to be sure, he was arrogant and proud, greedy and cynical, but Kain had hardly struck them as a merciless killing machine who left a trail of dead bodies and bastard children in his wake. Kain had protected and sheltered them from a group of Witch Hunters who believed them to be demons. It was he who argued their case and with their help he had drawn out the true perpetrators of the crime SG-1 had been framed for. Kain was a bastard to be sure, but he was also an ally, and indeed, a friend.

Today Teal'c, Vala, and Daniel had caught a glimpse of the ferocious devil warrior spoken of in half whispers on the streets of Coorhagen. The man was a whirlwind in battle, spewing bolts of energy from one hand while cutting down anyone in his path with his other, Kain was a berserker with a talent for bloodletting. He had the gift of rage, but he was a master of that rage and he never let it get the better of him.

In spite of the man's insufferable arrogance, Teal'c couldn't help but respect him, and the thought of him being blamed or even punished for the loss rankled.

When Daniel's radio had crackled a warning that Ori soldiers were headed for the Pillars, Kain had rerouted the men under his command, and had immediately headed to aid in the defense of the sacred place. Outnumbered and outgunned, and facing an enemy possessing far greater technology and weapons Kain had planned a brilliant strategy that had given them a chance. But in the end, it was not enough, Kain's men had been decimated, cut down to a mere three dozen, even the great Kain was human. His men were human, and even they must fall to the laws of probability. Bloodied, broken, exhausted and afraid they now trudged down the narrow path towards the nearest town. The full moon was high in the sky and in the distance a monster that was once a man howled in moon born fury.

Vala hobbled along, leaning on Daniel a bit more than necessary. Kain led all of them down the path. He was not a handsome man by any means, and stained in blood, soot and gore, he looked downright frightening. His shoulder length coal black (and starting to turn gray at the roots) hair tied in a ponytail, and his white and gold chain mail armor pockmarked and even burnt in some places, Kain was already a shadow of his former glory. This was not just a defeat in battle, this was overwhelming loss, and Teal'c suspected that the fact the nobleman had survived the fiasco made it all the more galling. Teal'c shook his head, even if Kain's reputation wasn't destroyed by the loss; he suspected his sense of pride would never mend. Kain had not just lost a battle; he might just have lost the entire war by allowing those Pillars to fall into Ori hands.

So naturally Vala wouldn't shut up.

"And…why can't we stop again?" She asked. Loudly.

Kain hunched his shoulders and lowered his head.

"You may feel free, at any time, to leave us and stay behind Vala. I'm sure whatever stumbles across you will be courteous enough to only eat you after it's killed you."

Daniel chuckled in spite of himself. And even Teal'c was glad to see that Kain's sense of humor had not left him completely.

"I mean, can't we make camp? I think my foot's broken…" Vala said mournfully.

"It's not broken." Daniel said flatly.

"How do you know?"

"Because you twisted your ankle? I saw you do it?" Daniel suggested. He pretended to look thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, I'm thinking that."

"I am sure you would be much more comfortable resting in a town or village than out in the wilderness." Teal'c offered as he quickened his pace.

As if to punctuate the statement, something in the forest started to sing a nursery rhyme in a voice that wasn't quite human. The three members of SG-1 were wise enough not to ask what it was. They probably didn't want to know.

Teal'c passed Daniel and Vala (who had become silent and turned white as a sheet after the voice had screamed her name, told her she was going to die alone and then proceeded to laugh maniacally) to walk with Kain. While he may have wanted to be alone, Teal'c thought it was best that he wasn't.

"You did all that you could have done."

"Yes. I did, didn't I?" Kain answered in a tone was such that that the Jaffa couldn't quite tell if he was serious or not. "And yet it was not enough."

"No. No it was not. But the fact remains, you are not to blame." Teal'c offered.

"True." Was all he could say, for what else _was _there to say? Nothing. Nothing more than a question. "It seemed that Vala knew the commander of the Ori forces? Who was he?" He finally asked.

Teal'c took a moment to look back at the woman, who was now hobbling along at an admirable pace, practically dragging Daniel along.

"His name is Tomin." Teal'c answered at last.

"And?"

"He is Vala's husband."

There was a moment of silence.

"Pity." Was all Kain could say.

"Indeed."

"I thought she was just beginning to warm up to me." Kain growled.

"She is not entirely faithfully to the bonds of their marriage." Teal'c offered.

The voice in the woods had now begun to insult Daniel.

"I mean it is a pity I'm going to have to kill him." Kain snapped.

"This is a war. Tomin is a commander in an army bent on taking over your planet and subjugating your people. I am sure that she will understand, that in the heat of battle-"

"I'm going to kill him." The implication was clear. Kain had taken his defeat as a personal insult, and was focusing his indignation, his sheer rage, on Tomin.

"You must not loose sight of your goal. Your entire world is at stake, now is not the time for personal vendettas."

"Do not presume to lecture me, Jaffa. I know my duty." Venom crept into Kain's voice.

"Do you? I have seen many a warrior blinded by their own wounded egos. All of their skill and strength rendered useless because they are unable to separate their emotions from their objectives."

Kain stopped and turned to Teal'c, putting a hand on the hilt of his sword. Everyone stopped to watch as the two stared each other down.

"Are you saying I am unfit for command? Perhaps I am, but that is not four you to decide, Offworlder." Kain growled.

"No. Your skills on the battlefield are unquestionable. But you are also human, mortal. I have seen other walk the path you have already begun to tread. It has destroyed each and every one of them in time."

Kain stared hard for a while, at first it seemed as thought he might be angered by the words, that he might even start a fight, but in the end he closes his eyes and nodded.

"I see the wisdom in your words, Jaffa. And I will _try_ to heed them."

"KAIN! KAIN! YOU WHO FOUGHT! YOU WHO FAILED! NOW ALL OF NOSGOTH WILL FOLLOW YOU INTO HELL! AHAHAHAHAHA!" The voice in the woods cackled.

Kain was silent for a moment.

"Go on. I will join you in a moment. Follow the signs marked Ziegsturhl, they will take you to the town Colonel Mitchell agreed he would meet us at." With that Kain drew his sword and headed off into the woods.

"You know, if I wasn't already a married woman, I could use a man like him around the house." Vala yipped.

"Oh, I'm sure he has similar thoughts about you." Daniel quipped.

A half hour later Kain rejoined them, his hair singed and covered in sticky gray blood that smelled of rotting fish and burning rubber. Gore and viscera dripping from his sword.

He seemed in much higher spirits.

* * *

Ahhh, maybe not my best work, but it is my first attempt at diving into an Stargate fan fiction and I am relatively new to the franchise. Any suggestions are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

It seems in the last chapter I forgot to add a disclaimer, my bad.

I'm just playing in someone else's sandbox, folks. Stargate and Legacy of Kain are far to great to be owned by someone like me.

* * *

By the time Mitchell and Carter had arrived in town word had spread in Ziegsturhl that The Pillars had been captured by the invaders. It was only a matter of time before the knowledge spread beyond the small village to consume the whole of Nosgoth, where it would fester in the ranks of her defenders and cripple them. Not tonight though. Because in small villages like this where the only guards were two or three young volunteers with three hand me down swords that had long ago dulled on armor and bone and a single crossbow between them the only real defense from the creatures of the night was to lock your doors, hope that the folk remedies of garlic and frog carcasses hung in your windows will protect you, hunker down and pray you'll still be alive when the sun comes up. Normally such superstition annoyed Daniel, seeing people reduced to this almost animal like state of terror by myths and legends was part of the reason he stayed on the team. Chasing away the imagined nightmares with logic and science was his contribution to humanity at large.

But on Planet Nosgoth the nightmares were all to real.

Myths and legends stalked the planet's populace. He had seen things, wondrous things, and terrible things. And while he was sure that there were perfectly logical, scientific explanations for everything he had experienced in his time on the planet, that somehow managed to be even less comforting. Still, the people (both the living and the dead, if some of the odder stories were to be believed) of the planet were fighting tooth and nail against the Ori, and he was not about to pack and run away. As long as there was actually a war to fight, he wasn't going to give up, none of them were. Daniel met his fellow team members in what passed for a villager square, the two looked weary from their long journey. Kain and the few member of the militia that were up to drinking their sorrows away had commandeered the local tavern despite the protests of it's proprietor, apparently the thought of saying 'no' to fifteen rowdy soldiers, a particularly haggard looking knight dripping with inhuman gore, and also Teal'c had led the owner to rethink his hours.

"What's the situation?" Mitchell asked.

"Not good. I assume you heard?" Daniel said he turned to lead them to the tavern.

"We saw. We had to pass near the Pillars to get here. The entire area is crawling with Ori Soldiers." Carter added.

"And Prior Cyclops." Mitchell grunted, invoking SGC's nickname for the scarred, one eyed Prior from Tomin's homeworld.

"He was trying to exorcize The Pillars of an "Evil Spirit" or something along those lines." Carter added.

"Yeah, well we got other problems at any rate." Mitchell stated flatly.

"What happened at Coorhagen?" Daniel immediately inquired. Kain had asked that they immediately set out for his hometown, if there was a problem.

"We'll talk inside…where's Kain?"

"Well…" Daniel sighed as he turned to lead them to the Tavern. "Kain and his men seem to be honoring an old Nosgoth tradition of drinking yourself into oblivion after a massive defeat."

"Vala and Teal'c?" Mitchell asked, almost afraid to ask.

Daniel looked at the others, shrugged helplessly and then followed them into the tavern.

Like many bars on Earth he had traversed, Mitchell thought that the tavern smelled of cheap alcohol and despair, although he noted that it was entirely likely that this was what it smelled like before what little remained of Kain's troops (that were still upright) invaded. Extra chairs had been set up and a few empty crates were used for makeshift tables, a few of the men picked listlessly at cold, greasy meals. In the center of it all, Kain held court with his feet propped up at the table he sat at, leering at a passing tavern wench. Vala sat in his lap, leaning against her shoulder with her head rolled back, mouth opened while she snored loudly into his ear. Teal'c sat at his right, starring stonily at the tankard of ale he had ordered an hour ago and had yet to try.

The three of them weaved their way through the maze of tables and burned out drunks in the making to march their way to Kain's table. If Carter hadn't known better she would have thought she saw the briefest glimmer of relief in Teal'c's otherwise impassive eyes. Kain's eyes immediately settled upon the new arrivals, and a mirthless grin spread across his face.

"Ah, Colonel Mitchell, Colonel Carter, what fine news do you bring from glorious Coorhagen? I trust you took a moment to enjoy it's beauty and sample it's hospitality?" Kain asked eagerly. Carter and Mitchell were both silent for a moment as they looked at each other.

"They wouldn't let us in." Mitchell finally decided to blurt out.

Kain's smile remained for a while as he allowed the news to sink in.

"And you…showed them my family crest?" Kain asked.

"They said that bearing the mark of a noble wasn't tantamount to actually being of noble blood." Mitchell added.

Kain starred at them blankly for a while, blinked a few times, then tossed back his head and laughed heartily. He curled one hand into a fist and slammed it down hard onto the table, causing a loud crack to resound throughout the small building, those attending didn't know if it was the table or the bones in his hand. Vala awoke with a snort at the sound, knuckling sleep from her eyes.

"Truly, we noble born are blessed with the purity of our bloodlines. Sadly arrogance breeds stupidity, and nothing breeds arrogance like the sense of entitlement we nobleman possess." Kain took another deep drink from his tankard. The others were silent, they knew enough not to interrupt him once he got rolling. "Did you not explain to them that the Ori Plague is sweeping throughout the entire area? Did you not explain to them that you carried with you the only possible means of curing the disease?"

"Well…" Carter began.

"Of course you did! But do they listen? No! Of course not!" Kain stood, dumping Vala to the ground with a hollow thud. "Ingrates! Fools! Do they not know that death is sweeping towards them on the winds? Do they heed any warning but that of a council of inbred swine masquerading as wisemen and politicians?" Kain threw his drink to the ground.

"Bah! To the abyss with them! Let the plague clear out those unworthy to carry their titles!"

Kain plopped back down into his seat, rubbing his temples as Vala crawled into a nearby seat. Mitchell and Carter took their own seats as Daniel pulled up an unoccupied chair.

"So where are we at?" Mitchell asked.

"I'll see those still battle ready off to Willendorf. Then I'll…I'll resign my post and join you at Coorhagen. Hopefully we can reach the city before the plague does. Once there I'll beat the city council until they agree to distribute your 'vaccine' or everyone in the city dies. Whichever comes first."

"And the Pillars?" Teal'c asked.

"The Circle will deal with it. Probably. Eventually…" Kain chuckled darkly. "The Pillars are not my responsibility are they?"

Carter and Daniel both exchanged worried looks. If there was anything they knew about Kain, it was that he made everything his responsibility. He had an opinion on everything that was his business and everything [I]was[/I] his business, they had never seen him completely wash his hands of something before.

Kain reached down to scoop up Vala with one hand as he stood shakily on two legs. He dropped a pile of coins onto the table in front of them.

"Treat yourself." Kain growled.

"Are we going somewhere?" Vala asked, her words slightly less slurred than one would imagine they would be.

"To bed." Kain stated matter-of-factly as he turned to stagger out the door.

"Together?"

"Yes."

"Goody." Vala stumbled a bit. "Are you as drunk as I am?"

"_That_…is a distinct possibility my dear." Kain said as he picked her up and draped her across his shoulder. "So I am most certainly _not_ taking advantage of you."

Carter, Mitchell, and Teal'c watched as Kain clumsily made his way down the street and towards the local inn with his prize as she waved goodbye to everyone.

"That is…quite possibly the saddest thing I have seen in my entire life." Carter said solemnly.

Mitchell tossed his gear onto the table in defeat.

"I really don't know if there's much more we can do here." He finally said.

"You aren't suggesting that we just pack up and leave?" Carter asked.

"We came here to make sure the vaccine is distributed and help support the war effort any way we can." He reminded her. "The best healers available are producing the vaccine and it's being distributed as fast as possible. We've passed along valuable Intel about the Ori, even given some of our Anti Prior devices and a few weapons to King Ottmar's army…we lost SG-3, Sam. The entire _team_. We were due back two days ago."

"I believe Colonel Mitchell is correct. There is nothing more we can offer to the war effort here. Not when we may be needed elsewhere." Teal'c intoned gravely.

"Daniel, what do you think?…Daniel?" Carter looked around. The archeologist had grabbed a few coins and then briskly made his way to the bar after Kain had taken Vala up the stairs.

"Aw, crap." Mitchell exclaimed when he caught sight of him. "Is he going to be withdrawn and brooding now? Because Kain got to third base with Vala? Really? _Really_?" Time and stress had broken down whatever reserves of patience and good humor he had left, the sight of Daniel sulking over a tankard set him off.

"I'll go talk to him." Carter sighed.

"No. I'll go talk to him." Mitchell sighed. Hesitantly making his way to where Daniel sat, starring into his own drink in a manner not unlike Teal'c had been doing not long ago.

"Hey. You aren't supposed to be drinking on the job." Mitchell grunted.

"Uh, yeah that's why I ordered water." Daniel said.

Awkward silence followed.

"You can do that in this place?"

"Apparently."

"Look…" Mitchell decided to cut right to the chase. "Kain and Vala…are both really drunk. [I]Soooo[/I] drunk…I'm sure they'll both feel really bad about it. In the morning."

"So you came over here to give me a pep talk because you think I'm jealous of Kain?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Frankly? He can have her. Maybe if those two hook up it'll get her out of my hair for a while." Daniel stated simply.

"I'm pretty sure he's just banging her to get back at Tomin." Mitchell added as he took a seat in between Daniel and what he was pretty sure was someone who was just unconscious and not dead from alcohol poisoning.

"This is a fucked up planet." Daniel finally said.

"Yep."

* * *

"Mmmm…Daniel." Vala said as the sounds of birds greeted her upon her awakening.

"Better. Kain."

Vala's eyes snapped at the answer. The-Person-Who-Most-Certainly-Was-Not-Daniel starred back at her with a cold, appraising gaze. She screamed and rolled out of the bed. Kain sat up and began to resemble his armor as Vala slowly gathered herself.

"So you and I-" Vala asked.

"Yes. Several times in fact."

"But I didn't-"

"We were both very drunk, if that's any consolation."

"Why does my-"

"You may have been more drunk than I."

The silence that went several levels above awkward settled onto the room. A kind of palpable miasma of awkwardness in fact. Vala was absolutely speechless, a rare state for her. Kain seemed to be going on his merry way, buckling and strapping on his armor as he hunted down the pieces that were scattered about the room rather haphazardly.

"I…" Vala began.

"Don't waste your breath." Kain snapped. "It reeks of alcohol and vomit." He turned and strode up to her, eyes narrowed. She was tangled in the bed sheet, which she kept wrapped tightly around herself as she fought to regain her footing.

"You and I…" She said as she managed to finally stand. "Are never to speak of this again."

"You found my performance so underwhelming?" Kain chortled.

"Lalalala!" Vala shouted, sticking her fingers into her ears. Kain bent to pull his sword out from under the bed.

"Honestly, Vala. Where is your good humor?"

"Where are my _pants_?"

"I believe they are outside in the hall. With the rest of your clothing." Kain smiled cruelly. "You are welcome to retrieve them yourself."

"Sadistic prick." Vala muttered as she swept past him.

"What did you say?" Kain asked, forcing anger into his voice.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Vala insisted as she nudged the door open and stuck her head out into the hallway.

An Ori Soldier stared back at her, eyes widened in surprise. He dropped her panties and leveled his staff weapon at her.

"Vala?"

There is a point in everyone's life in which they honestly believe that there was some kind of God. And that this God, this divine omnipresence who ruled all things hated them with a passion and went out of it's way to make them suffer. It was one of these moments that Vala found herself in as Tomin ordered his soldier to stand down. Tearing off his helmet and beaming at her with all his love and affection. It was in that split second when Kain, with all the subtly of a bull in a china shop, shouldered the door open, knocking Tomin into the opposite room. The Ori Soldier swung the staff around to aim at the newcomer, but as he did so Vala grabbed the improbably designed weapon and forced it away from him, causing the shot to go wild. Kain didn't hesitate, taking his chance he closed the distance between himself and the soldier and impaled the crusader through the neck with his sword, where the battle the night before and countless minor skirmishes before that had told him their armor was weakest.

The Ori Soldier dropped to his knees, gurgling and grasping at the wound as his life's blood as it sprayed everywhere. Kain was not allowed a chance to enjoy his kill as a group of Ori Soldiers rounded the corner and let loose with their staff weapons. Vala ducked, grabbed the staff weapon and then tackled Kain, carrying them both into the open door of a nearby room. Kain deftly kicked the door closed as he rolled to his feet, shaking his head to clear it. Vala had just saved his life, perhaps she was more useful than he had previously assumed. Vala quickly shoved a nearby desk to bar the door, as if that would stop them.

"The Ori Commander?" Kain asked.

"Tomin. My husband." Vala explained hastily.

"Ah, just making sure." He cleared his throat before shouting. "Commander Tomin! Call off your dogs, I have your wife!"

Vala shot Kain a withering glare, he shrugged at her. What else were they to do? There was a moment of silence as Tomin either collected himself or considered the situation.

"Kill her, and I'll kill you!" Tomin finally shouted. He tried to sound threatening, but a distinct edge of fear crept into his voice.

"Kill her? Why would I kill her when there are so many ways I can inflict pain on her and keep her alive, and therefore useful to me?" Kain nodded to Vala, who starred blankly at him for a moment before catching on.

"Oh, right. OW! PLEASE TOMIN, DO WHAT HE SAYS! HE'S INSANE! A MADMAN!" Vala added her own voice to the charade. "PLEASE DON'T LET HIM HURT ME ANYMORE!" Vala sobbed, suddenly breaking down into tears. Kain flashed her a toothy grin.

"You…monster! Stop it! I SAID STOP IT!" Tomin screamed, his fist banging loudly on the cheap wood.

"Oh I'll stop. As soon as I've ridden her-oh, excuse me I spoke, ridden with her, out of this hellhole and all the way back to Willendorf."

Kain was pleased, he could almost feel Tomin's anxiety and anger through the door. His frustration, at the thought of loosing something he held precious. Oh perhaps it was the thought of loosing in general that galled him. Kain didn't know the man well enough to make such a judgment, but he did sound genuinely concerned with Vala. That, at least, was admirable. Foolish perhaps, but still admirable.

"And…and you promise you will let her go?" Tomin finally asked.

"When I reach Willendorf."

"No. When you make it beyond the town limits." Tomin shot back defiantly.

"Every time to try to bargain with me, I'll cut a piece off your wife." Kain said flatly.

"I promise you, you will not be pursued!" Tomin shouted.

"And how, exactly, would I hold you to such a promise?"

"I give you my word." Tomin demanded, slightly insulted.

Kain had to admit, the boy did sound genuine, but he couldn't just leave Vala to the Ori Soldiers. Her husband may simply be a liar as gifted as his wife.

"No deal. Try to argue the point again and your wife looses an eye. Or perhaps her nose…"

"PLEASE TOMIN!" Vala sobbed. "DO WHAT HE SAYS!" Kain smirked as he grabbed Vala and pulled her close, shielding his body with her own. "Don't get any ideas." She hissed to him as he drew his sword and held it to her throat.

"Vala, my dear, have I given you a reason not to trust my honor?" Kain whispered as he kicked the table barring the door to the side. The door swung open to reveal Tomin, who glared daggers at the man.

Kain grabbed Vala's breast as he made his way into the hall.

Tomin bristled.

Kain smirked.

Vala made a mental note to smack the crap out of him when it was all over.

"So, at last we meet face to face." Kain mused as he watched Tomin shake with fury.

"You led the men I defeated at the Pillars of the Ori." Tomin snarled.

"Pillars of the Ori?" Kain chuckled, amused. "Really? What propaganda have you been fed, Tomin?"

"The Pillars rightfully belong in the hands of those who believe, for they are the locks that hold the Demons of The Night-"

"Yes, yes, yes. I'm sure that whatever fairy tail that sorcerer masquerading as a priest filled your head with is truly fascinating. But I'm truly short on time." Kain backed away, backed towards the stairs, towards freedom…an Ori Soldier leapt out at him from behind a corner, staff weapon swinging for his head. Kain parried the blow and dispatched the man with a slash to the throat. He was dimly aware of Vala screaming for Tomin to stop when agony bloomed in his side. His armor offered him excellent protection, it was of far better quality than that of his enemies, but even that had it's limits….

Kain feel to his knees as Tomin fired again, this time striking him in the back. The energy blast blasting through the heavy metal and exposing his left shoulder blade in an explosion of energy, molten metal and vaporized flesh. He screamed in rage…but…Kain could not…

Vala, running away….good girl. Go get help….

And then… Tomin, standing over him. His sword held high…

Pain in his back, through his stomach….

Darkness.

Fire.

And the Necromancer…..

* * *

Fuck, I had a hard time with this chapter. It feels rushed and I don't particularly like the dialogue, I'm also seriously thinking of chucking the whole drunken one night stand between Kain and Vala. Might make for some funny Kain/Adria interaction latter though.


	3. Chapter 3

IT'S ALIVE!....ALIVE!

* * *

* * *

_Was he in Hell?_

_Did it matter?_

_Probably not._

_Tomin._

_The Ori._

_Revenge._

-

It was cold outside, winter was on it's way. The kind of frigid biting chill that cut down to the bone like a knife. They had heard gossip while on the way to the Mausoleum. Winter was coming early because The Invaders had the Pillars and were working some foul sorcery over them. Killing the planet by cursing The Pillars, that's what the peasantry said anyway. Already they were cursing Kain as well as his Offworlder friends. The sun was a pale orange blob sinking towards the horizon, daylight was failing. Cameron tracked it with his eyes, ignoring the fetid odor of the graveyard. It stunk of rotten meat and something else that he couldn't identify and frankly didn't wish to.

"We should get moving."

"Indeed."

The team had begun to stir anyway. It hadn't been much of a service, the last of Kain's family was a great aunt who well over a hundred years old and was thought to be a witch. She lived high in the mountains, and probably wouldn't survive the trip down into the lowlands, witch or not. His wife had died in childbirth and his only son died of brain fever at two years old. He had never mentioned either of them and kept no portraits of them around his mansion. They had only discovered this after Kain's body had been recovered. So now, the only thing that survived him was the story of how he had lost The Pillars Of Nosgoth to the Ori. How he had damned Nosgoth to ruination.

That and their memories.

-

_Vae Victus. Suffering to the conquered._

How amusing. Now he was suffering.

Kain, one more casualty in the war against the Ori.

-

_He had once gone to Earth._

Stargate Command.

He had read a poem there. Dante's inferno.

The place he found himself trapped in fit the description given quite nicely.

-

Vala blamed herself. Of course she never said anything to the others, and in the end what could she have done? Dragged him out of there? Fought off the Ori Soldiers? Fat chance, she had barely made it out of there on her own and Kain…Kain wouldn't have been getting up on his own any time soon anyway.

That didn't make it any better. That didn't make her feel like any less of a coward.

-

_He had blamed Vala as well at first._

Until he had asked himself if he would have done anything different.

Now Tomin's blood is what he wants.

Kain would give anything to end his life.

-

"Where are you going?" Daniel asked Vala.

Into Kain's crypt of course, but she had no answer she could put into words.

"Don't want to be stuck out here at night Vala." Cameron reminded her. Sparing her an awkward answer everyone knew anyway.

"I won't be long."

She wondered if they blamed her.

_There was no price to great for his vengeance._

-

Sam wasn't sure the gravedigger was entirely human. The short little man with arms that seemed a little to long was leering at her from across the graveyard. Beady little eyes set above a grotesquely large mouth that hung perpetually slack revealing gray teeth that were sharper than any human's. A long, pointed hung crept out to lick at his pale lips as he watched SG-1 hungrily.

A crunching of dried leaves and brittle twigs alerted the team to another presence. A tall man dressed in elegant red robes that no one had seen coming startled each and every one of them with a rattling cough. The creepy gravedigger, upon seeing the man, had turned and loped away. He seemed to be in his early forties, but his skin was stretched taught over his bones and his black hair seemed greasy. He bowed to them.

"I am a traveling monk." The man lied. Lying came very easily to him after doing it for thousands of years. "Come to pay my respects to the great Kain and pray for his immortal soul. I heard no priest would oversee his funeral." His voice was deep and rumbling. It was a voice that commanded respects. "Are you his kin?"

"Not really." Cameron said. "I'm Colonel Mitchell. This is Colonel Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel Jackson." He indicated each member of his team as he introduced them.

"The Offworlders?"

"Yep."

"It is an honor."

"Thanks."

The two men starred each other down for a while. The "Monk's" piercing gaze was intense but not aggressive or accusing.

"May I?" He gestured to the Mausoleum.

"Go ahead. I'm sure he'd be glad to know someone's praying for him. Real religious guy, Kain was." Cameron wasn't sure if The Monk had any reason to suspect otherwise.

The Monk bowed his head again and then made his way into the decrepit building. Cameron watched him go inside, before turning away and sweeping his gaze across graveyard, and beyond that the forest. The Pillars stood majestically in the center of it all, ever present, almost watchful. The one constant in this world. They somehow made the whole world seemed even creepier.

"Get me the hell off this planet." He muttered under his breath.

-

_Kain now knew he was in Hell._

In Hell you were tortured in ways more than the physical.

Your greatest regret. Your worst fear. Your darkest sins.

It was these things that were used against you in Hell.

Kain could not move from this spot. Could not avenge himself against his humiliating defeat.

This was Hell.

Being unable to dispense his vengeance was his torment.

-

It actually smelled better inside the Mausoleum than outside. Vala guessed that nobles had the privilege of better preservation than the peasants buried outside in the graveyard. She sat now, in Kain's large cool, and largely empty tomb. It was sterile and gray and the only decoration was a massive painting of Kain that had been hung over his stone sarcophagus. It seemed so…banal. So plain. Not at all indicative of the man who rested there. Vala wasn't sure what she should be feeling, what she should be feeling. She thought about all the many things she could have done differently to save Kain, and in the end none of it really mattered. Hindsight was 20/20 and she couldn't read the future. She hadn't known Kain for very long, but she had known him long enough to know that he had a similar outlook on life as her own. Live every glorious minute to it's fullest extent, because each happy moment could be your last.

Now he was gone.

The Old Bastard was dead and buried. One more casualty. One more notch in Adria's belt.

Now there was a road she had to avoid traipsing down.

-

_Kain didn't want to be dead._

More than his vengeance he wanted to be alive again.

To breathe in the sweet night air.

To feast at sumptuous banquets.

To taste the finest wine.

To fuck the most beautiful women.

He. Wanted. Life.

He wept for it, in his weaker moments. Lamenting all he had lost.

Mourning everything he had done had been for naught and mourning for all those things he had yet to do.

He ached for life.

-

Vala wasn't one for sentimentality, she had come to this place more to assuage her own guilt than to make any kind of amends, but she had to stand in awe before the painting of Kain. She had come to the conclusion that perhaps the twelve foot tall painting was more than enough decoration for Kain's crypt. It embodied the man it's image reflected. Imposing, charismatic, and more than anything larger than life. Kain wasn't a good man, like Daniel or Teal'c or Mitchell were good men. Honorable men. He was however, a great man, and he deserved more to mark his passing than a broken legend about an incompetent fool who damned The Pillars to Ori control.

The Ori had won again. Adria had won again, sweeping aside all opposition. A juggernaut smashing through planet after planet. A monster killing or consuming all in it's path. A monster she had given a face and a voice in Adria. Maybe she could still reach her…but probably not.

They were all probably going to die.

The sound of weapons fire snapped her out of her reverie, and her radio crackled.

"Vala, get out here!" Cameron shouted, his voice distorted.

Perhaps sooner rather than later.

-

_Tomin and the Ori took his life away and cast him into Hell. Were the Ori somewhere on what Jackson called The Ascended Plane? Laughing at his impotence?_

If so he wished SG-1 the greatest luck in finding Merlin's weapon.

And he hoped to meet The Ori when they were sent to Hell writhing in agony.

He would personally give them a tour.

-

Things had gone to Hell quickly.

Sam crouched behind one of the sturdier tombstone. Of course The Ori Soldiers would have picked right then to attack. Of course they would know exactly where to attack and how to attack and….

Sam was tired.

Ten long years of fighting everything from the Goa'uld to the Replicators and now The Ori and she was just bone tired. Even in her first year, there had been moments when she had just felt completely overwhelmed by the odds they faced, but they had always managed to pull through…still, Replicators could be blasted apart when you shot them and despite all their claims to godhood the Goa'uld were still very much mortal. While The Priors could be put down with a bullet and Adria probably could be too, they were fighting something massive and powerful and nearly invulnerable in it's own right. They were fighting a movement, an entire religion poised against them. As a woman of faith, who's belief had pulled her through the toughest times, she knew how powerful that could be. She knew what they were facing and she knew that the odds weren't good.

-

_Kain had nothing more to think about._

No more introspection into the nature of his incarceration.

No more anything.

All he could do was simmer in his bitterness and hatred.

Until he was nothing more than a shade. A thing of repressed rage and unsatisfied hungers.

Until he became a wraith.

-

Teal'c was silent and stony. A center of calm in the chaos. A source of strength. Seeing him crouching there, without the slightest glimmer of fear, the others fought on. They always did. Teal'c would go the distance. Teal'c would walk the path. Unwavering. Unquestioning. His will to win this war was absolute and iron clad. Teal'c brought down one Ori Soldier was charging into the graveyard with a short burst of fire that caused his face to explode into a burst of gore.

In times like these, in the heat of battle when everything seemed lost, it was Teal'c who the team looked to.

-

_For the first time in a long time, Kain prayed for deliverance._

Somewhere, he was sure, The Ori laughed.

-

"Your friends need you." This guy to well dressed to be a monk said.

"I know."

"Are you afraid?"

"Yes." She saw no point in lying.

"For yourself or for them?"

Vala shifted uncomfortably.

"Fear not child. Soon we shall be delivered. All of us." The Necromancer assured her. He picked up her weapon and handed it to her. "Soon, all the pieces will fall into place, and Balance will at last be restored."

_'Kain will make the sacrifice.'_

_Revenge?_

Is that what this strange being offered him?

A chance for Revenge?

To walk the mortal world again, wreaking his terrible vengeance on those who had sent him there?

Without a second thought.

-

"Fall back!" Cameron shouted. "Into the Mausoleum !"

Yes, the Mausoleum was large and almost labyrinthine, it had three separate entrances as well. Fall back inside, hide, take a breath and make a plan. Out here they were exposed, the Ori Soldiers were pouring into the Graveyard, definitely the time to make their exit. Teal'c shifted his position and laid down a covering fire while Daniel leapt up and crossed the distance to the Mausoleum, carved to be grand and almost decandent but in it's state of disrepair it only seemed more foreboding, like a ruined mouth yawning wide to swallow him.

And he found himself staring into the hungry eye of an upright corpse.

Zombies. Of course. Zombies.

-

_Kain's mysterious benefactor was laughing. Not a good sign._

But as he walked from the fires of Hell and back into the mortal world, Tomin's sword in his hand, he suddenly became aware that he was laughing too.

-  
-------------------------


	4. Chapter 4

I think that maybe there's a point in this chapter where I go…a _little_ to far with Daniel's encounter with the zombies. Tell me what you think.

* * *

The first zombie went down before it had even shuffled out from the shelter of the Mausoleum when a burst of machinegun fire shattered it's skull. Dust and dry bits of brain and skull went flying as the desiccated corpse fell to it's knees, which shattered on impact with the marble floor. Behind it, a far fresher corpse shambled out, what had once been the pretty young daughter of well respected count was slick with puss and blood and so bloated with decomposition gasses that her silken burial gown was shredded in places. Her yellow eyes leaked black blood as her yellowed teeth gnashed her swollen tongue to pieces. She staggered towards Daniel, then towards Cameron, and behind her a skeleton scampered out of the building and into the failing light. It's bones bleached white, not a scrap of flesh or even clothing to be found on it. It was animated solely by dark magic.

Behind the two, more of the reanimated dead filed out of the Mausoleum, awakened by the power of The Necromancer in Kain's crypt. Nosgoth's nobility, it's arrogant aristocracy pulled to a foul and hilariously grotesque imitation of life in one final insult. Death was indeed the great leveler, and for all intents and purposes, Mortanious The Necromancer was death. These zombies and skeletons were mere preludes however, heralding the birth of something more…something greater.

The sky seemed to grow darker, the air became more chill, a thick fog rolled in, blanketing in the ground in a white cloud. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the chatter of machine gun fire and the blasts of staff weapons were joined by the groans of the hungry dead. The Ori Soldiers pressed their attack, filing into the graveyard with staff weapons firing wildly, turning the stone headstones and ruined statues their targets hid behind into molten slag piece by piece. Whether or not they say noticed the stumbling abominations, several stray shots hit the undead horde blasting of rotten limbs and setting dry and brittle flesh alight. SG-1 was trapped between a rock and a hard place.

"We've been in worse situations before!" Carter shouted over the racket. As if to punctuate her statement - or perhaps disagree with it- thunder rumbled above them, the clouds almost black. The air smelled of coming rain storm. Cameron risked shooting her a dirty look and a quick retort.

"Yeah? Like-LOOK OUT!"

A skeleton grabbed Sam from behind, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other across her neck. Two pale unblinking blue eyes still sat in the fleshless sockets, somehow regenerated by the powerful magic. Carter opened her mouth to scream but the skeleton's bone arm pressed into her throat. She attempted to thrust her elbows back into her attacker, instinct and training kicking in almost automatically but instead of connecting with soft flesh her blows glanced off the swaying spine. Although it had no throat or lips the skeleton's jaw swung open and from it's eternally grinning skull a high pitched voice screamed.

"WHERE'S MY SKIN?" The impossible construct screamed in hysterics, it's eyes rolling crazily. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY SKIN? IT HURTS WITHOUT MY SKIN!!!!"

Cameron's eyes bugged out of his head as he starred at the shrieking skeleton. He took aim with his weapon but with impossible strength it began to thrash Carter around, blocking his shot. Carter gagged as needles pricked her lungs, the undead thing was cutting off her oxygen whether it intended to or not. She stomped down onto it's foot with all of her strength, but although the bones cracked and one toe snapped of completely the skeleton's grip remained strong as iron, all the while it howled and sobbed into her ear. Teal'c moved behind the undead creature quickly and silently and slammed the butt of his weapon directly into it's exposed neck vertebrae, they broke with a sickening crack and the head tumbled onto the ground, screaming the whole way.

The now headless skeleton tightened it's grip on Carter, who's movements became less and less vigorous as she weakened in the creature's grasp. Teal'c was about to grab for it's arms when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Whipping his head around he found himself face to face with a the slimy face of a once beautiful princess. Her skin was wrinkled and cracked to reveal blackening muscle beneath and one eye hung from it's socket by a dry and brittle optic nerve.

"Kiss me my love." She whispered hoarsely into his ear moments before she tossed her full weight onto him, teeth gnashing at his throat as she howled. Teal'c was staggered but not felled, he threw his own weight into hers and she stumbled back. He reached for the skeleton again, but the Princess Zombie shrieked in rage and grabbed him by the throat with a strength she had never possessed in life, fueled by black magic combing with hunger and lust. "You dare spurn me? The most beautiful woman in all of the world? " She roared, rotting teeth and clotted blood flying from her mouth and into Teal'c face. "On your knees! Beg for my forgiveness, slave!"

Teal'c's face tightened into a grimace as he backhanded the zombie across the face. She gasped in shock and leg go of him immediately, hands flying up to where he had struck her.

"You-you hit me!" Her single milky eye widened in shock.

Teal'c grabbed her by the throat, lifted her into the air, and then slammed her into the ground with enough force to shatter her decaying neck bones like glass.

"I am not _anyone's_ slave."

Carter meanwhile had grabbed the arm that was wrapped around her throat and with one last burst of strength mixing with desperation had pried it off her throat, the pressure easing, she opened her mouth and gasped for breath. The air in her lungs restored her, not just filling her with strength but with hope and with a scream she reached up with her other hand, hooked her fingers into the skeleton's scapula, and flipped it over her head, stumbling back, shaking her head to clear it. Then she fired her weapon into the thrashing skeleton at her feet and it exploded into shards of bone and clouds of white dust.

She looked up from the shattered skeleton, some of the limbs still writhed, hands clenching into fists and grasping at the dirt, but it was neutralized. She checked to see why Carter had not leapt to her aid when he had been unable to shoot the skeleton. A male Zombie crouched over him, in one hand he wielded his own severed arm as a club and was striking Cameron in the head with it. The Colonel wasn't moving, in fact it didn't even look like he was breathing...

A cry of surprise behind her alerted her as two zombies and a skeleton all leapt on Teal'c at the same time. The Jaffa managed to kick the skeleton in the chest, shattering it's sternum and sending it flying back into the Mausoleum wall where it crumbled into dust with a sigh that was almost of relief. He held both zombies at bay by their rotting throats but they clawed at his arm, shredding his sleeves with their long jagged nails. His eyes darted to Carter.

"GO! HELP COLONEL MITCHELL! " He shouted over the snarls of the corpses biting for his face.

She nodded, turned and rushed forward, planting her boot into the attacking zombie's stomach. It hissed weekly and rolled off of him, allowing Carter to blow it's head to gory pieces. She knelt down next to her teammate, immediately checking his wounds. His face wasn't a pretty sight but the wounds didn't look to severe, but when she slipped her hand beneath his head she felt blood. A lot of it. Two zombies charged them from opposite directions, and she opened fire, dropping one with a headshot and severing the others legs at the knees. She bent lower to attempt to mend his wound but three more zombies and a skeleton had already caught sight of her and where stumbling towards the two.

A few feet from them, Daniel was tackled by a grotesquely fat former duke wearing nothing but a frilly neck collar. The gun was knocked from his hand. Wrestling with the naked corpse was horrifying on oh so many levels, but Daniel's mind was barely able to register his fear. Finally he was able to bend back the zombie's head from his face. He pulled out his sidearm, pressed it against the flabby chin and pulled the trigger.

The zombie collapsed on top of him, pinning him beneath it's dead weight.

Screaming in sheer horror, Daniel pushed with all his might. It took no small amount of effort but desperation gave him extra strength and he was able to roll the corpse off of himself. He stood up, gasping for air, before grabbing his thrown P-90 and rising to his knees, a sick gurgling noise alerted him to the zombie that had crept up behind him. Steeling himself, he spun around to find himself face to bare belly with a headless pregnant zombie. He stared, horrified at the pale, darkly veined stomach which undulated and rippled. A shriek emanated from the gaping neck wound as the zombie doubled over in pain, clutching it's stomach.

Daniel had seen some awful, terrible things since his time on SG-1 and Nosgoth had been responsible for showing him no small amount of them, but what he was witnessing now dwarfed all of those moments. When the belly finally tore open with the sound of ripping wet fabric and from it crawled a shrieking…

Daniel screamed.

The Ori Soldiers hadn't had much luck either. In fact, they were fairing worse than SG-1. The side effects of the Necromancer's magic leaked out into the graveyard like toxic waste. Rotting arms burst out from beneath the ground to drag the warriors into graves. Zombies and skeletons tunneled up from the ground like earth worms, hungry for living flesh. Ori Soldiers were dragged down by entire packs of the walking dead, their throats chewed out, armor stripped away so that their killers might feast on the rest of their bodies. One Ori Soldier back pedaled towards a group of his allies who were standing back to back to back, his foot came down onto the grass…and kept going down. He screamed in horror as his leg disappeared up to his knee. One of his comrades reached out, grabbed him by the shoulder and with incredible strength pulled him free.

The Ori Soldier starred at the bleeding stump where his leg once was. He didn't even scream, simply starring in something akin to fascination as his blood spewed from the wound. From the grave he had fallen into a massive corpse, who had once been a blacksmith of great size and strength, shot out of the Earth like a missile and swung the Ori Soldier's severed leg like a club, moving with skill and agility that belied his great size. Still, the Ori forces gave as good as they got. The undead had numbers and tenacity on their side, but the energy weapons tore them apart, sending chunks of sizzling flesh flying in every direction. One zombie opened her mouth and tossed herself onto a lone soldier, only to have the staff weapon shoved into her mouth with such force that it exploded out of the back of her head. The zombie behind her screamed in agony as the soldier fired his weapon and blew it's chest apart. Another Ori warrior, bleeding from a dozen wounds and energy weapons depleted drew his sword with a battle cry and with incredible skill began to hack apart the zombies that advanced on him. Heads and limbs went arcing through the air. It took a dozen flesh eaters to drag him down and a additional four to quell his fighting spirit. Death walked upright, madness and chaos rained in equal measure as the dead returned to life to feast on the living

Then, all at once it stopped.

There was a electrical popping noise and the undead fell where they stood. Skeletons fell apart as the magic holding their bones together ebbed and faded. The dark power had been called back to it's core, the ambient reanimating magic sucked up like a sponge, drawn back into it's source…

Vala's head popped out from the yawning Mausoleum doorway. She looked to the left, then to the right. Then tiptoed out, weapon at the ready. Her eyes fell on SG-1, sitting in a semi circle by the door. Haggard and bleeding and slightly traumatized. Cameron had been leaned up against a tombstone, his head bandaged, wounded but alive.

"Looks like I missed all the fun." She quipped as she bounced over to them. "What's on your face Daniel?" She grimaced in disgust.

"My…face?" The archeologist sat starring blankly ahead, eyes wide and slightly crazed. He reached up to touch the horrid mess of rotten amniotic fluid and blood that had congealed on him in the cold air. "Oh…Oh my God! Oh my _God_!" He gagged, stood up and rushed into the bushes to vomit.

"Didja…didja have fun in there?" Cameron asked, his head never lifted from it's resting place on the shattered tombstone but his eyes narrowed at Vala. "Was it relaxing? Nice and quiet and peaceful?"

Vala shrugged.

"Vala?" Cameron asked, his voice tightening a little.

"Yes?"

"What-in-the-_hell_ did you touch in there?" He shouted through gritted teeth as he sat bolt upright, pain shot through his skull as he did so but he didn't much care about it.

"What? What do you mean, I didn't-"

"Oh! Ohohohoho no!" Cameron snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the alien thief. "You go in, a few minutes latter every damn corpse in this entire place starts trying to eat us! You stole something, didn't you?"

"What makes you think, even if some worthless little trinket in there was cursed or whatever, that I would…" The rest of the team, sans Daniel who was still retching in the bushes, glared daggers at her. Sighing in defeat she sat down, fuming. "I really didn't. Honest."

Teal'c said nothing but looked away, Carter groaned and rested her face in her hands.

"Okay I did steal this." She reached into her vest and pulled out a beautiful, ornate silver and gold necklace encrusted with rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Cameron tossed up both hands and shouted in exasperation. Carter looked up at the stolen necklace for a moment before returning her face to her palm. Teal'c said nothing but was clearly not amused. "But I took it off a corpse only [I]after[/I[ it started trying to eat my face."

"Oh yeah. Right" Cameron snapped bitterly.

"No, really. I'm being honest this time." She insisted.

Cameron snorted but leaned back against his headstone rather than argue any further. A moment of tense silence descended upon the group, other than Daniel who had thrown up the entire contents of his stomach and was now just dry heaving.

"Did Kain…" Carter finally worked up the nerve to ask.

Vala's expression changed. She lowered her eyes and sighed.

"When…when I ran back into his tomb for shelter his…his sarcophagus was empty. So…I guess…."

An entirely different air settled onto the four as the news sunk in.

"But it's over now, right? I mean it stopped." Carter looked around at the fallen corpses around them, the overcast sky cast the entire graveyard in darkness adding further gloom to the gristly scene. The entire area stank to high heaven already, in a few hours this place would become unbearable. "Didn't it?"

Cameron made an affirmative grunt, but still the idea was unsettling.

"We should leave this place." Teal'c finally managed to rasp, his voice sounded tired and hoarse.

Cameron gave another affirmative grunt, and the others slowly began to pull themselves together. Gear was strapped back on, weapons checked and reloaded, wounds checked and dressings changed. They probably should have eaten, they would need their energy for the long journey ahead, but none of them were feeling much of an appetite considering the gory battle they had just fought. So, worn and weary the SG-1 team suited up and readied themselves for the trek back to the Stargate, back to home. The comfort of family and camaraderie. This mission had been technically a success, but the events that had taken place on the planet were morale crushing for the team.

"Come on, Jackson!" Cameron shouted, even though it sent shooting pains through his skull. "We gotta go!"

"You aren't going anywhere!" Shouted an Ori Commander as he marched his way from behind a lone standing stone, flanked by two of his subordinates. Their weapons hummed to life and they had them leveled at the team. "Don't draw your weapons! You may have greater numbers than us but we will cut you down before we fall!" They were all bleeding and tired looking, but triumph burned in their crazed eyes.

"Sorry guys." Daniel muttered as he trudged up to stand with his comrades, a fourth Ori Soldier prodded him in the back with a staff weapon. "He took me by surprise."

"Nice work, Dr. Jackson." Vala drawled.

"Shut up, Vala." Cameron snapped. He turned his attention to the Commander. "We got more guns than you. Sure you may kill most of us, or maybe even all of us, but we'll kill you too. Probably. Anyway, are you really willing to die for-"

"Yes." The Ori Commander grunted. "I will gladly die for the glory of the only true gods." He took in a deep breath, nostrils flaring as he tilted his head back, almost to proclaim to the heavens. "For the Ori, I would suffer the greatest tortures and yes, even death you scum!" He insisted proudly.

"Well. Now's your chance." Insisted a calm, even whisper from within the shadows of the Mausoleum.

A blinding flash of red, black and white exploded from the doorway. A gleaming Ori forged sword rammed through the Ori Commander's guts as four massive fangs plunged into the crusader's throat. There was no time for the helpless man to even gasp in shock as his throat was ravaged, blood gushed from around his hideous wound where the savage creature kept his mouth locked only to _freeze_ in midair, hanging for a split second in defiance with the laws of motion. Then the blood actually _reversed_ it's trajectory, draining back into the wound so that it may be sucked up greedily by the hungry undead. Even the blood leaking from the stab wound in his abdomen retreated in this manner, retreating back into the body so that it may be consumed easier. The Ori Commander knew in the last few seconds of life, as the creature hovering over him drained his blood like a vacuum, that this his blood was being drawn and in his final moments, even through his mangled throat he managed to gag out one strangled word in awe and terrified realization.

"N-Nosferatu…." Then, with a wheeze of defeat he died, nothing more than a first meal for a newborn predator.

This all took about four seconds to take place.

The Ori Soldiers and SG-1 alike starred down in a combination of grim fascination and utter confusion as the newcomer sat crouched over the Ori Commander's body, none could see exactly what was transpiring, all they knew was that the Commander had not even struggled beneath the aggressor. Then the figure leapt up, drawing his sword from the corpse, who was now horrifically pale and sunken in on himself. The older warrior on the right reacted first. He fired his weapon, the blue energy bolt flying from the staff weapon connected hit home, the heart but the black chest plate, trimmed with gold simply absorbed the blast in a way that no normal piece of Nosgothic armor ever had. It should have slagged the metal and fried the flesh beneath, instead it fizzled out. Red chain mail, the hue of dried blood, draped where black metal could not protect and SG-1 could see that it's wearer had bleached white hair, and then, impossibly the strange warrior spoke words that each and every one of them had come to associate with only one person.

"Vae Victus!" Kain shouted as he jammed the sword into the mouth of the Ori Soldier who had shot at him. The man tried to shout in pain but blood was gushing from his maimed mouth but instead of running down his neck and chest on falling onto the ground it flowed freely into the mouth of Kain in one continuous stream. The younger soldier starred horrified and unable to move, transfixed by the ghastly sight of the undead warrior telekinetically leeching another man's life's blood from his body. Kain's eyes glowed an unnatural pale white light as he fed. Warmth spread across the Ori Soldier's crotch and down his pants leg as he pissed himself at the sight.

Behind Kain things happened quickly, from their vantage point those positioned behind him couldn't see him feeding so they had no idea what was going on. Still, the Ori Soldier knew his comrades where in trouble and with a roar of attack he sidestepped Daniel and charged Kain, firing wildly. It was a reckless, foolish decision that left him vulnerable and he paid for it dearly. Teal'c grabbed the warrior from behind, knocked the weapon from his hands and drove him to his knees with a series of well placed kicks. The others then went about disarming him quickly, securing him. As a prisoner he could be valuable…

A cry of pain and fear alerted them to the death of the third Ori Soldier, who fell to the ground at Kain's feet. Pinning his arm across his chest was the Ori blade Kain had wielded, in fact it was the same sword Tomin had used to kill Kain in the first place. Not a drop of blood was left in the body, not even around the sword wounds. Kain stood with his back to the others, panting. Above them, the thunder rumbled so loudly that it seemed to shake the ground.

"It would seem that reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Kain mused to no one in particular.

"Hey, you died and came back." Cameron managed to quip, his voice shook with both anxiety and relief. He crossed to where Kain stood, his back still to the others. "Happens to everyone at least once. Just means you're officially part of the club now." He placed a hand on Kain's shoulder and chose his next words carefully, trying very hard to control his tone. "Maybe we should get you back to Stargate Command though…Make sure everything's working up to speed after- "

Kain spun around, snarling. The sound was like that of an angry wolf or dog, deep and rumbling. His skin was pale as snow, it was the color of a dead body, it was the color of the three bloodless dead men at his feet. His ears had enlarged and were pointed like those of a bat and four prodigious fangs, two on the bottom and two on the top dripped blood which was smeared around his mouth contrasting sharply with his grotesquely white complexion. But the blood was disappearing however, being absorbed by his skin like it was a sponge absorbing water. His eyes though, his eyes were the worst part about this reborn Kain. They were seas of hot yellow, red and black veins pulsed there and they were rimmed crimson. Sickly green slits served as pupils, and those horrible reptilian eyes burned with a naked rage and hunger that sent Cameron leaping back with a startled shout.

Kain had just drained three men completely dry and yet still the thirst burned in his throat and clawed at his belly. His eyes shot from each member of SG-1 one as he saw -but took no real notice of- the horrified expressions on their faces. Finally his piercing gaze fell upon the Ori Soldier who knelt beside the team, he was not starring at Kain, but instead had both eyes on the ground and was praying to the Ori in between sobs and retching. Kain hissed then, a sound like a massive hell born snake preparing to strike, mouth opening far wider than any human's could as he fangs lengthened with a sickening sucking sound. Drool dripped from his inhuman maw as he glared hungrily down at the sniveling Ori Soldier.

"Kain!" Cameron shouted, seeing the warrior's reaction and stepping in between Kain and the prisoner.

Without so much as a grunt of effort Kain tossed Cameron aside. Carter stepped in next, trying to reason with Kain, mouth open to try and say something to calm him down. He sent her flying with a careless backhand. Teal'c sidestepped Kain and tried to outflank him, intending to use the same techniques he had used on the Ori Soldier. Kain spun around however and lashed out, as he did so his fingernails exploded as a new set of ebony talons erupted from the nail beds, he raked his talons across The Jaffa's chest, knocking him back. Vala meanwhile, had very wisely decided not to be anywhere near the Ori Soldier when Kain got to him, she took cover behind a tombstone. The Ori Soldier looked up to see a trembling Kain staring down at him, snarling down at him.

"Please…please…have mercy on me!" He whimpered, tears clouding his vision.

Kain tilted his head like a curious dog. A thoughtful expression seemed to cross his face, as though he honestly considered sparing the man's life.

"Very well. I will show your mercy." He growled.

"Oh." The Ori Soldier sputtered. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Then he reached down, grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him into the air.

"I grant you the mercy of death." He squeezed with all his might, which was considerable, and snapped the man's neck.

Teal'c forced himself to his feet, even though fire blossomed in his chest whenever he moved. He looked up just in time to see the dead Ori Soldier fall into a twisted heap. Kain turned around, looking down at him with an expression that was almost confused Teal'c starred back full, defiant. Kain's gaze lingered on his bleeding chest wound for a minute, before he turned away. He then caught sight, as though for the first time, of the various mutilated corpses and piles of bones littering the graveyard. Corpses in various states of decay, mouths full of pulped flesh, limbs blown off by staff weapon fire, bones that had been blasted to dust by machine gun rounds.

"Vala?" He asked. "What did you try to steal?"

* * *

So….Um…Yeah. Maybe I should have held back on the whole...zombie woman gives birth right in Daniel's face thing. If enough people object...I'll remove it.


	5. Chapter 5

No hilarious commentary from me today folks, figured you'd want a break from my babbling.

* * *

Kain stared at Daniel from across the conference table with his reptilian eyes, his face a mask of Teal'c-like passiveness. The two of them were accompanied of course by the rest of SG-1, but although General Landry had called them all in for a meeting he seemed to be running late. For his part, the archeologist would actually probably rather Kain be glaring or sneering at him as the placidity reflected in the former human's face was inexplicably disconcerting. Daniel had not seen or spoken to Kain in the two weeks since he had arrived at Cheyenne Mountain and greatly suspected that not many had, the vampire had confined his activities to the infirmary, his appointed quarters and Vala's quarters.

Daniel felt himself shift uncomfortably at the thought of that last one, although Vala insisted that they weren't sleeping together and that Kain was now so irredeemably creepy in his mannerisms that she could barely stand being alone with him. In fact to hear her tell it he spent more time in her quarters than she did, but somehow the idea that Kain was lingering in Vala's personal space for no particular reason at all made his actions all the more disconcerting, especially when one considered that Kain had never before shown any personal interest at all in Vala beyond physical attraction and had indeed even threatened to stuff her into a burlap sack and throw her into a nearby lake numerous times in their previous interactions.

"Is something troubling you, Dr. Jackson?" Kain hissed. His tone sounded more annoyed and condescending than concerned

"What?" He asked, startled out of his contemplation.

"You were starring at me with the look of a grazing cow." He said with a shrug.

"Uh, sorry. I was just…thinking."

"About what?" He barked.

Uncomfortable silence drifted over the conference room as the other team members quickly picked up on what was going on.

"I was just…Well…" Daniel stalled out for the right words. He wasn't one to scare easily, but the pale creature sitting across from him was far more intimidating than any man he had ever encountered. Kain raised his eyebrows and his mouth twisted in an effort to repress a fang exposing sneer.

"I was just thinking about the Sangrall." He finally lied.

"Hmm. And where you might find it no doubt." Kain didn't sound convinced.

"Yes, and before the Ori do." Daniel nodded.

"That certainly would be a problem wouldn't it?" Kain said. "Tell me, do you have any idea what this weapon does?"

"Well, it releases an energy wave that literally cancels out the energy that ascended beings are made up of." Carter answered, intervening quickly. Her answer was a bit clumsy as she tried to put the weapon's function in terms she thought Kain would understand.

Kain shot her a withering glare before looking away, casting his gaze out a window and muttering something to low under his breath to be heard. The team members exchanged worried looks. 'Weird' didn't begin to cover Kain's behavior as of late. A week ago the Asgard had reported no progress in their search for a cure, and ever since then Kain had become more and more withdrawn and irritable.

"Any news of Tomin?" Kain asked, not bothering to look at any of the others. He made no secret that he blamed Tomin above all others for his death and subsequent resurrection.

"Nope." Mitchell said forcefully. He wasn't one to take Kain's bullying in stride.

"And the halfbreed?" He asked with disdain.

" Who?"

"The so called Orici." Her pointed an almost accusatory finger at Vala. "_Her_ whelp."

Vala made a face as his question sunk in. Kain had never, _ever_ asked about Adria before. The fact that he used a derogatory term like halfbreed to refer to the leader of the Ori forces wasn't unusual. He shared the Tau'ri predisposition for insulting his enemies, but somehow against all logic Vala's maternal instincts kicked in and Kain's sudden interest in her daughter somehow managed to ruffle her feathers.

"Nope." Mitchell again.

"Are you going to kill her?" At this Kain's head pivoted until he was starring directly at Vala, who's eyes narrowed.

"If we have to." Mitchell answered bluntly.

"You will have to." Kain returned to furious look he was now getting with one equally as furious.

"Is there a point to this line of questioning?" An edge of aggression now edged into _Daniel's_ voice when he realized Kain was switching targets.

The vampire's eyes shot to Daniel's and he bared his fangs before spitting his response.

"I just want to make sure that your childish infatuation with Mal Doran does not cloud your judgment about what needs to be done."

Daniel's mouth opened to refute the claim, but he shut it. Then opened it again, then closed it. He was completely and totally speechless.

"What's so important about _my daughter_?" Vala asked.

"You see? Now you're getting defensive." Kain snapped. "It's the fact that she's Vala's daughter that's the problem. How can I trust you to do what's necessary when the time comes if she's blood relation to Vala? A blood relation that she clearly feels affection for -oh, don't deny it Mal Doran- against all good reasoning and logic?"

"Gee, Kain, how about the fact that we're professionals?" Mitchell said as he stood up and leaned forward on the table. "This isn't out first barbeque. In fact I think it's safe to say that the bottom line is we have more experience at this kind of thing. So why don't you let the Big Boys worry about this?"

"You insult me?" Kain shouted, now incensed. He shot to his feet and his chair fell over. Everyone except Mitchell leaned away from the enraged vampire as his eyes glowed with their unnatural pale white light. He made a Wraith look downright cuddly in comparison. "How dare you? How _dare_ you? Impudent braggart! Ungrateful dog!" Kain wasn't even using his more colorful insults yet, Carter knew she had to intervene before Kain pulled out his castration threats or she might never stop it-

"Am I interrupting something?" General Landry somehow managed to pour more authority into those four relatively quietly spoken words than Teal'c had heard system lords muster in loud, pompous speeches. The Jaffa couldn't help but respect the man.

"General! Your man insults me!" He pointed an accusing finger at Mitchell.

"Hey! Now that's just immature!" The colonel snapped, misunderstanding Kain's phrasing.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like an apology?" General Landry asked pleasantly.

Kain's eyes narrowed angrily.

"I warn you, General. I am not one to suffer those who mock me one in one breath and call me 'friend' in another." The vampire was now longer shouting, and the SG-1 team members knew that was never a good sign.

"Well, then we share something in common. You can see where Colonel Mitchell is coming from." General Landry stepped up to him, looking the much taller vampire right in the eye.

"I'm leaving this shithole of a planet now and returning to my homeworld. Your Asgard have failed, _you_ have failed. I do not think it is wise to continue our partnership any longer. I will combat the Ori myself. On my world. On my own terms." Kain said quietly. "Don't try to stop me. You will find the consequences of such an act to be quite…messy." Kain leaned over the man a bit. "Am I clear?"

A pause. Landry was silent.

"Am. I. Clear?"

"You can leave at any time." The general said flatly. "But might I suggest you wait a day? That's when SG-1 will be leaving for Nosgoth anyway. Conservation of power and all that." He added with a pleasant smile.

Kain frowned.

"What?"

"That's what I called this meeting about. Daniel and I had a most interesting discussion earlier today. It seems that he thinks that the Sangrall might be hidden on _your_ planet. Wouldn't do to have Vala's Whelp find it before we did now would it?"

Kain suddenly felt very foolish for some reason.

"Of course your help would be greatly appreciated in the search, but if you insist on going off on your own…" Landry shrugged helplessly.

Kain's shoulders sagged, his righteous anger leaving him like air escaping a deflating balloon.

"Very well." He muttered. "I will leave with SG-1. What I do when I arrive on my planet is my concern, understand?"

"Perfectly." Landry continued to beam up at him. He then cast a glance over the men and women seated around the conference table. "That's all." He then turned and strode away.

One by one, the others stood and walked out. None looked at Kain as they passed and he let them go without a word. Without even an angry snarl. It was then that Carter stepped up next to him. Kain closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt her eyes on him.

"I _may_ have overreacted." Kain finally admitted to her.

"Yes. You do that sometimes." She nodded.

Kain said nothing.

"Want to talk?" She asked finally, patting him on the arm.

"No." He trudged out of the conference room.

* * *

As she was being given the nickname 'Vala's Whelp' some lightyears away on a planet that was very much out of her current grasp, Adria was quite busy in her hunt for the Sangrall. Her mother may have called the feeling that led her to this mountain top cave 'woman's intuition' but she preferred to think of it as the guiding light of the Flame of the Ori. It's sacred illumination a beacon in the darkness that was her quest. Hours of meditation and prayer to focus her powers had led her here. She prayed to her fathers that her powers were accurate because she couldn't stand this Ori damned planet anymore.

Mutants, freaks, heretics, and all manner of dark creature ruled this world. The people where so stupidly stubborn and set in their ways it would be easier to burn them all with holy fire than to waste one more minute trying to make them see the light. Frankly it would probably be a mercy. The Prior that had been assigned to this world and the one she had very much come to think of as her mentor was practically frothing at the mouth when she had arrived. He wanted to personally cleanse and purify the entire planet and she couldn't hide her smile at his rabid hatred for the unclean planet.

Most others would be lost in the winding passageways of the cave system she had entered, she thought to herself as she rounded a corner, but not her. No for she was the Orici, hers was the power of the gods incarnate, her soul was pure and-

Holy _hell_ that was a big pile of gold.

She stopped mid step to gawk despite herself. Easily eight feet high and nestled in one corner of the cavernous space she had just entered. Gold coins, gold nuggets, gold chalices and even an ornate golden sword that probably wasn't very useful for combat but would still make for beautiful decoration. Had it been there before? Wait, no it didn't matter. She was after something much more precious than material wealth. She was after the means to destroy the so called 'ancients', the ultimate evil and…

So shiny.

Adria was the Orici, designed at a genetic level to be an avatar of the Ori's terrible will. She had the power to undue armies and make the sky itself weep. She was a guiding light, a beacon of hope, truth and knowledge to the followers of Origin. But she was also Vala Mal Doran's daughter. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other uneasily as she fought some very Vala-like impulses. She shook her head, and began to turn and walk away. Of course maybe the Sangrall was hidden somewhere inside the pile?

She took a step closer.

Wait, no. She frowned. Who would leave a pile of treasure out on the open like that with nothing guarding it? Ori save her, she could be damn thick in the head sometimes. An obvious trap set by the dark forces of this world. Scowling now she raised one gloved hand and reached out with her powers. She sensed nothing, no solid mass but the rock behind it, nothing but energy. An illusion then, she wanted to smack herself in the head for her greed and blindness. She would have to remember to pray to the Ori for forgivenss latter. Her opened hand became a fist as she lashed out with her powers and the illusion fluttered for a moment and then dissipated.

"Oh, that was very impressive." A raspy voice called out from the darkness. "I must admit your talents far exceed my greatest hopes."

Adria whirled around.

"Who's there?" She shouted as her eyes blazed with red fire. "Show yourself!"

"Oh, forgive a foolish old man his deceptions." From the shadows stepped a wizened old man dressed in blue robes trimmed with gold that were disconcertingly similar to her Priors. He even held a staff tipped in a blue glass orb that occasionally hummed with a strange electrical tone. Entwining the staff was a gold serpent with it's fangs set deep into the orb. He smiled pleasantly, in a grandfatherly manner but Adria was not put at ease. "I am Moebius. A loyal follower of the Ori, and your most humble servant."

* * *

Short chapter is short. I actually wrote the second part first, intending Moe's reveal to be the big cliffhanger. Then I realized that it was to short and wrote the first part as a prelude. I'm not really to fond of first part of the chapter to be honest, so I'm all ears for critisim. Kain made a bit of an ass out of himself didn't he? Well, he is a supernatural predator thirsting for revenge stuck on a military base and probably being fed nasty cold animal blood. I imagine I would get a little irritable in his situation as well.

This is also my first attempt at writing Adria. She's not a very well explored character in my opinion. Fanatical Ori Antichrist, shoots fire out of her hand, has mommy issues, that's about it. Innput into writing her is not just welcomed, but needed.


	6. Chapter 6

Insert clever author's note here.

* * *

It's a lonely world in a lonely solar system in a Galaxy that, as it turns out, isn't lonely at all. Invaders from another Galaxy have arrived, they are the followers of the Ori. Merciless and uncompromising theirs is a fleet of unstoppable Juggernauts fueled by the will of their power hungry gods. As shadow falls upon the Milky Way as world after world, race after race, is converted or destroyed, a wave of death and corruption heading right towards Earth and it's billions of inhabitants ignorant of the mortal peril they are in. Between them and the Ori forces is Nosgoth, a small planet with merely two continents, only one inhabited by intelligent life. It was a dying, corrupt world long before the Ori even dreamed of a dark dominion in the Milky Way, caught in the grip of an ancient force of destruction and chaos, the final battlefield in a war that waged long before the Ancient Alterans ever fled their Ori brethren.

It is where a lock that holds back a dimension of infinite horrors resides, one planet to save an entire Galaxy from the ravening terrors trapped for so long they dream only of their terrible hungers and revenge against a race long dead. It is a lock is slowly rusting away, and the prisoners it restrains grow restless as they sense their freedom drawing near. The Ori forces crawl across all corners of the planet like a swarm of locusts. They seek to liberate the world from ignorance and damnation, not knowing that the brighter they shine their light the deeper they cast the planet into shadow. Not knowing that in their efforts to heal a broken world and it's broken people that they only marshal the forces of evil bubbling beneath it's surface. No one could have ever believed how much rests on this tiny backwards world cut off from the rest of the Galaxy. No one would ever want to believe the ancient nightmares this planet hides, the dark secret that slithers and burrows and writhes beneath the crust, intertwined with both the ethereal and the physical.

The flame of the Ori grows ever brighter on Nosgoth.

And the shadow it casts grows ever darker.

* * *

Sangraal. Orici. Mothership. Priors. Ascended beings.

Kain sifted through all the files relevant to the Ori, ignoring the headache the tiny black font was giving him. His eyes roved over line after line of information, technical reports on the Ori soldier's weapons and tactics, the composition of their armor. Scattered around him were field reports from those who had encountered them in battle. Conquered them. Or been defeated by them. Kain tapped a button on the remote that controlled the screen in front of him and the image changed. It was SGC's file on Adria. _She _was the biggest threat, and yet there was so little documented information. Kain tapped his black claws against the desk he sat at as the wheels in his head slowly spun. Adria was presumably even more powerful than the Priors who now served under her, and judging from what he had read about them it was quite possible that she could wield power rivaling the Circle of Nine. Certainly placing her above his magical abilities. He read all the way through the file once, then again, then a third time.

He really should confer with SG-1.

Kain leaned back in his chair, pulling himself away from his research for a moment and considering his current position. His temper had gotten away with him, something that seemed to be happening with considerable frequency as of late. While there could be doubt that being trapped in Cheyenne Mountain was not wearing thin on him, he had to ask himself if there were not…other factors influencing his behavior. Kain's mind wandered despite his best efforts to keep it from doing such. He remembered his time hunting vampires, remembered the carnage and destruction they left in their wake. Men hanging from trees, their skins removed only to be sewn back on inside out. Women and children gutted, their guts smeared all over the walls of their simple houses. Limbs removed and shoved down throats, so much blood congealing on the ground that it was possible to step up to one's ankles in some areas. And that was merely what he alone had witnessed. The marauding creatures had been led by a vampire named Clavo, his disciples were all young but well trained in the art of torture and slaughter.

The Clavo incident had been one of the most brutal vampire rampages in recent Nosgothic history. A pack of ten vampires descending from the northern mountains, cutting a bloody swath through the human population. Clavo's brood had split up into three groups, each one intending to in turn to create seven new vampires. At least that was what Clavo had been reported as confessing to the Witch Hunter's who finally defeated and cleansed him in Provance. By then his splinter pack had been twelve members strong and almost forty men died in the ensuing battle. A testament to the dreadful might of the vampire master and his children. Word had not yet reached Kain of the vampiric rampage by the time he ran into the vampire pack near his home. At the time he considered them nothing more than another deadly variety of dark creature and a way to vent his anger. He was unaware of the destruction they had caused throughout the land. It had been a…difficult time to say the least, he had not accepted visitors nor paid much attention to any gossip amongst his servants. His grief had been overwhelming, and only news of a vampire attack on a nearby village had shaken him out of his isolation.

He had taken the head of the first in single combat on the night of the full moon, when her powers would have been at their strongest. While her brothers gorged themselves on the blood of innocents in the village below, he had taken out his anger, guilt, and self loathing on the vampiress as she greedily sucked at the neck stump of a young man she had decapitated. Her death had been slow, messy and loud enough to alert the others to his presence and they fled to the south. He caught up to the other the day before the undead was set to descend upon Vasserbunde. He crept into the beast's lair midday, when the sun was at it's highest point in the sky, and then cut off the vampire's arms and legs, cut open his blood bloated belly and then poured oil into his abdominal cavity before setting the oil alight to watch the hell spawn burn from the inside out. Torturing the inhuman bastard even as he cleansed his filth from the world had been cathartic to say the least. The third was run down by angry peasants on the northern shore of the Lake of Dead and was lowered feet first into the water for his crimes. A fitting end. His heroic destruction of the two vampires had brought him great prestige and swelled his coffers. The ensuing celebration had been enough the ease his pain, or at least numb him with alcohol and sex. The satisfaction of retribution had been eased his grief and allowed him to come to terms with the loss that had plagued him for many months before the hunt had begun.

And now the dark curse tainted his very flesh. He was now one of them. Would he eventfully slid into depravity and evil as they had? How long then, before the curse claimed his soul and devoured what was left of his humanity? Years? Months?

Days?

The Asgard had made no headway, he was sure they would find nothing that could be of any use to him. The Tau'ri doctors and scientists could provide no more answers than the diminutive aliens. If there was any chance he might yet be saved, he knew that it lay on his home planet.

Behind him, Vala snorted loudly in her sleep, startling the vampire. He swung around in the chair to peer down at her in the gloom. Certain she was not yet aware of his presence he turned back to the files. He did not necessarily regret his words to her earlier that day, to him his prodding at her affection for her daughter had been a sensible way to toughen her up for the battle yet to come, but things had…escalated. He knew it was cruel but felt it was necessary, yet he also knew that he had made himself look a fool in front of his allies. He was not yet quite sure where he stood with Vala, having retreated to his room soon after the incident.

His frequent visits to Vala's quarters were a personal weakness he had at first been reluctant to indulge. Kain held no illusions that he had a particular affection for Vala Mal Doran, nor did he find her particularly palatable compared to the other personnel at the base and yet… She had made these simple quarters into her home, they felt distinctly lived in and felt human somehow. They were a reflection of Vala's mortal soul in a way that he appreciated more than he ever could as a living human. In comparison his assigned quarters felt barren and lifeless, cold and mechanical and lacking in any warmth or comfort. Staying there only added to his alienation and anger. Standing idle for two weeks left Kain prone to certain weaknesses he would not have allowed to fester otherwise. He pinched the bridge of his nose as if to dare the oncoming headache he felt to grow stronger, as though it was an enemy he could rebuff with a threat of violence. He had slept a full day's rest four times in two weeks not counting the occasionally dozing every few days. Legend had it that vampires required to sleep in a bed of earth to replenish their supernatural vitality during the day, and he had not swallowed his bride down enough to ask to test that theory. His new state of undeath allowed him to go days without rest but his energy was waning fast. He had not bathed much either, as water was now as acid to his undead flesh. Kain was no dandy, he had gone far longer than a paltry three weeks without bathing before especially while on a campaign but somehow he felt gamy and unclean.

Old pains shot through his mind as he sat in the dark. Scars not physical but mental. Emotional. Yet he remembered to the good times as well as the bad, but they somehow offered no more comfort to him in his sullen state. Thirty long years full of misery and joy and triumph and defeats. Love and hate, disappointments and pride, all these dichotomous things mixed together into the heady potion of his past that was at once painful and intoxicating. Old ghost he thought long ago laid to rest rose up in the darkness, and he almost yearned for Vala's incessant yammering to drown out the static silence. At that thought he grimaced. Perhaps he [I]_was[/I] _going insane…

"BWAH!" Vala's surprised yap alerted Kain. "Kain!"

"Vala." He said quietly. "Go back to sleep."

"Why are you in my room?" She sounded more alarmed than angry, that at least was a good sign.

"I am researching our enemy. There is so much to learn." He gestured to the files scattered around on the desk. 'Much that was not shared with me when I joined them in battle at the Pillars.' He added mentally, unable to keep the bitterness from souring his expression.

"Yes but why are you in _my _room? Why aren't you in _your _room?" Vala asked.

Kain tensed for a moment, ignoring the question before turning back to the papers scattered on her work desk. Although when he found it she had been using it to display various pilfered baubles from across the galaxy and not for actual work.

"You spent time in the Ori galaxy, correct?" He asked, he didn't wait for her answer. "Tell me, what are they like? These followers of Origin?"

Vala shifted her weight and climbed out of bed.

"Not that much different from any other planet full of peasants really. Until you get them started on this Ori stuff though…" Vala shrugged helplessly. "Not much else for me to say really."

"Are they good people?" He asked, flipping through a report that recounted the disastrous battle at the Supergate.

"What?" Vala asked. "No…what part of 'trying to take over the Galaxy' didn't you understand?"

Kain cast the report on the desk, not bothering to read it to it's end. He had read it two times before, not to mention the time he had heard it from the mouth of General Landry himself. Disaster. Death. Defeat. All the things he now embodied as a vampire.

"Would you say that Tomin is a good man?" He asked, unable to keep an edge of impatience out of his voice.

"What?"

"Vala you heard the question. Do you think your husband is a good man?" Kain asked.

"I think…he's confused. I think he's been mislead." She insisted. "I think he's heart broken." She finally added.

"That's not an answer. Is he a good man?" Kain asked coolly.

"He wants to be." Vala said defiantly. "He thinks he is."

"Damn it woman, enough!" He pounded his fist against the table as he rose to his full height. "I don't care what _he _thinks. I want to know what _you _think."

"Yes!" She finally shouted. "I think, that despite all the terrible things he's doing, he's a good man with a good heart."

Kain stood and whirled on her.

"And your daughter? What about her?" He insisted.

"She's not my daughter! She's an Ori who hijacked one of my ovaries to hitch a free ride into the Galaxy." Vala shouted.

"You lie!" Kain pointed an accusatory finger into her face. "Your blood flows in her veins and hers in yours! You forget I was once a parent as well, Vala! I know that such bonds are not so easily broken! No matter what the bottom line is your instincts betray you! I saw as much earlier today!"

"What's the point of this Kain? Do you like reminding me of all I've done for the Ori cause?" Vala screamed in his face.

"We're going to kill your family, Vala." Kain said quietly, but his eyes blazed with silvery light and his face was a rictus of aggression. "Your husband. Your daughter. They will die before this war is done. One way or another. Does this fact not bother you? Does it not eat away at your heart of hearts in the dead of night when you have nothing to comfort you but hollow _lies_?"

"Yes!" She screeched. "Yes you idiot, of course it does! You _know _it does! Why do you even have to ask? But this is a war and I've chosen my side and I'll stick to it until the end!"

Kain took a step back from her in uncharacteristic retreat but his gaze seemed to soften and his eyes widened from accusatory slits.

"Good. I would have thought you a madwoman otherwise." Kain said flippantly as he sank back down into his chair. "You know what needs to be done. No matter the personal cost." Vala opened her mouth to scream at him again but he held up a silencing hand. "I needed to know for myself, Vala."

Vala plopped back down onto her bed, mouth agape in stunned silence for a moment.

"You still don't trust me do you?" She finally asked.

"I barely even know you." Kain hissed.

"We had sex!" She shouted.

"Come now, Vala. I knew you were a simpleton but I had no idea you were so dense." He said with a snort. "I've made love with many women, it doesn't mean I'm eager to stand alongside them in battle against the Ori."

"Yeah you have a point there." Vala admitted, any residual anger diffusing as her mind hoped from one track to another. "Wait…so I take this to mean that you will be helping us look for the Sangraal?"

Kain chuckled darkly for a moment, but said nothing more.

* * *

"For to long, this world had lingered in bosom of darkness. We come bringing a chance for you step out into the light of Their Holy Flame. So that it may burn away all sin and corruption and protect you from all that is evil." The young Prior announced to the gathered people, he had little need to demonstrate his powers here. Already a gifted orator, he had found the people of this city cowering under the yoke of a cruel being. Drawing them into the fold had been so pathetically easy he might pray to forgiveness to the Ori for his sloth. "This city has labored under a lie, drawn under the spell of a sorceress who commands dark forces to bewitch you into serving false gods." He possessed a charisma and power that most Priors took years to cultivate. His voice rumbled with authority as he stood before Avernus Cathedral.

"She had blinded you with petty shows of flashy powers designed to hide the truth of her message! The gods she would have you bow before are false, they bless lower beings with great power so that they may be worshipped for their own selfish gain. But the Ori are benevolent! They give as they receive! Theirs is a message of hope! They give knowledge as freely as they receive worship! And they offer to any who will submit to their teachings that greatest of prizes! Ascension! A chance to join with them in greater enlightenment!"

All at once, the people of Avernus cheered at the words of the Prior as he spun his tale of ascension and enlightenment and glory. They were the newest additions to the Ori's worshippers, ready to fight and die for gods they yet had little understanding of for no other reason than they couldn't be much worse than the gods they served now. They could not be worse than Azimuth. So they cheered, a chorus of joy that lifted up into the sky, burning into the core of heaven. Avernus belonged to the Ori.

Until the massive wooden doors of the Cathedral opened.

The cheering stopped.

The Prior whirled around and motioned to the Ori troops to move to support him should the need arise, but he puffed out his chest and his staff crystal glowed with the power of his righteous fury. Smoke and red light poured from within the titanic building, obscuring whoever-or whatever- was inside.

"So! The Demon Bitch of Avernus finally comes from hiding to face the glory of Their Warriors!" The Prior shouted pompously. "Come then, Heathen Whore of Darkness! Come and-"

_**"Silence fool."**_ The male voice rumbled from within the Cathedral. _**"You have spoken enough for one day."**_ Cloaked in red and black robes Mortanius the Necromancer emerged into the daylight, his face sheathed in a bone mask. His eyes black as the void of space.

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner?" The Prior demanded. "I am a Prior of-"

_**"I know who and what you are little man."**_ The Master of Death growled. _**"But you are clearly ignorant of me." **_The Prior opened his mouth to hurl another threat at the Pillar Guardian but the Necromancer cut him off._** "I care not for your ignorant prattle, Pawn of False Gods. I have come to deliver a message to every man woman and child of Avernus. Stand aside, or know the wrath of Death himself."**_

"Death? Death? You speak to me of death, Heretical Scum? There is no death for those who follow the Ori! Only the next stage in enlightenment! We who serve the true gods are immortal, Heathen! But you? You will burn for all time in the Fires of Eternal Torment!" The Prior shouted.

Mortanius was not listening, he was reaching through time and space, coaxing that which he needed from their long slumbers. He whispered, gently, in the way of his profession.

**_"Kill the warriors. Leave their sorcerer alive. I wish for him to see the folly of his gods before this city burns."_**

The Prior was furious now, youthful arrogance running away with him. Most other Priors would have long ago engaged the Necromancer in combat, but his rage drowned his reasoning. He fell silent however, when the air around him grew stagnant and chill. He could feel…something beyond his comprehension.

A shrill shriek between a laugh and a scream tore the air between him and his warriors and even he flinched at the piercing noise. A spark of blue energy arced before him and he could see a glimmer of something that was there and yet was not.

"What is this?" He demanded.

_**"Retribution. The souls of all those you have killed in the futile quest in the name of divine parasites return now from the depths of what you would call the Fire of Eternal Torment."**_ He pointed a withered finger at the Ori Forces in attendance. _**"They come to take you back with them."**_

"Lies!" The Prior shouted hysterically, even as something that was there and yet was not wailed and screamed. "Lies! Lies! LIES!" He thrust his staff forward, pointing it towards Mortanius and gathering every ounce of power into the staff's tip, preparing to cast the ball of monumental energy at the Necromancer.

"Prior!" Something hideously screeched as a gray figure swooped down and wrenched the staff from his hands, casting it aside before fading back into intangibility.

"This is a trick!" The Prior shouted, but his previous bravado failed him as his fear and horror crept into his voice. He backed away from Mortanius. "A flimsy illusion."

_**"Perhaps." **_The Necromancer mused._** "But you will never know the truth."**_

A death rattle alerted the Prior to his warriors, and he spun around only to see the impossible. Grey and white figures, barely recognizable as humanoid swept down through the air, tearing at the Ori Soldiers. Their weapon's fire went wild, even when they struck home the blue energy bolt fizzled against the spectral creatures, doing not more harm than a splash of water. The warriors were tossed about, dashed against the walls and floor, limbs ripped off as they were dragged along. Ghosts. Spirits. Wraiths. Drawn back into the mortal realm by the Guardian of Death to do his biding and avenge themselves against their murderers.

The crowd was screaming in horror and fear as they realized to late their mistake in accepting Origin into their hearts. They knew instinctively that the blood bath they were witnessing was not but a taste of their fate yet to come. The Prior reached out, trying to channel his powers without his staff, but as he did so one of the figures swooped down upon him and slammed both clawed hands into his chest. A feeling of icy cold spread through his torso, radiating out from where the unfettered soul touched him as the spirit shoved him along and tossed him to the ground. It loomed above him as he lay on his back for a moment, hovering in midair.

_"Prior!" _It howled as it hovered over him, one claw-like hand raised up, it's face veiled by silver mist and long flowing locks of white hair. Abruptly it paused however, looking to gaze up at the towering figure above it.

Mortanius shook his head, and with a cry of frustration the spirit withdrew, retreating back into the slaughter as it's cries were lost in the cacophony of vengeful spirits. Maortanius regarded the Prior for a moment before walking past him, he moved easily through the melee not flinching for a moment as death reigned around him. He was not just a necromancer, but _the_ necromancer. He had seen it all before, and he would see it many times again before his end came. Mortanius stood before the assembled people as they fell to their knees and begged him for mercy. No mercy would be shown, as much as it pained him to admit it. He may have been a master of death, but the pointless slaughter that would soon follow pained his heart and gave him pause.

He looked out at the screaming masses, see women and children. Innocents. Stupid innocents drawn in by the preening of a pompous ass but they had slaved under the madness of Azimuth for so long he could hardly blame them for leaping at the first offer of freedom. Cruel though the Ori were they far less insane and fickle than the Lady of Avernus. Still, he had to appear to be loyal to the current Circle for as long as possible. But their madness was deepening, the arrival of the Ori had unhinged many of the members completely. He had not heard anything from Bane and Dejule, and their absence unnerved him, and Moebius thought they could ally themselves with the Ori forces by paying lip service to the teachings of their religion. Mortanius repressed the urge to sigh in disgust. He had made many sacrifices in his long quest to redeem the Circle and himself, both personal and spiritual and of course literal. He had done terrible things…all in the name of a better future.

But he had never condemned an entire city to a ugly death however.

_**"People of Avernus. You have betrayed your mistress and your gods with this heresy! For this you must suffer!"**_ He announced, spreading his arms wide. "_**You will watch as all you love crumbles around you!" **_He continued on for some time, all fire and brimstone. Promising death, destruction, terrible fates all while hiding his disgust for Azimuth and the Circle. That had been the way of it for many years, pretending to slip with the others into debauchery and evil while engineering the downfall of the Circle. Fighting Nupraptor's madness…and the corruption of the Hylden.

_**"The end comes soon!" **_He shouted, his voice rising into hysteria. "_**For all of you! Soon this world will be cleansed of your taint!"**_

He was not speaking to the assembled wretches.

Above them, the sky seemed to crack and wither revealing a shroud of red and orange mist. Behind him he felt the electrical surge of power that was the demon dimension bleeding into the mortal world. The humans below wailed in fear and desperation as they crawled over each other to beg for forgiveness that would not be granted by the insane bitch and should not have to be asked for in the first place. Sickness clawed in Moebius' gut as he watched the panic unfold but he turned and walked away knowing there was nothing else to do. Azimuth was not his to end, her fate was to die at Kain's hand.

He did not notice the Prior until he was cast off his feet by an invisible force.

"Undue whatever foul magics you have cast over this city, or feel the wrath of the Ori!" He screamed in rage as his staff shuddered in his hands.

Mortanius chuckled to himself as he rose to his feet, brushing dust off his robes.

_**"It is not my doing. I am but a messenger." **_He stood straight, towering over the Prior as he turned to face him. _**"Killing me will solve nothing. Nor will I kill you. I want you to watch. Watch what happens to these people, these followers of Origin…because of you. Watch as the Ori do nothing to help their followers. As hell itself claims this city as it's own."**_

"This city belongs to the Ori!" The Prior screamed again in fury as he focused his anger into power and fired a blast of energy towards the Necromancer. Mortanius raised a hand and tendrils of inky black shadow burst forth from the ground at his feet and wrapped him in a protective embrace moments before the red ray of energy stuck home. The beam was nullified by his protective aegis. The fiery red blast washed around the shield of darkness, flowing over it like water, seeking any way through to it's wearer but it could not penetrate Mortanius' magic. He was the oldest member of The Circle besides Moebius, and had existed for thousands of years. Many considered him the most powerful Sorcerer in all of Nosgoth and in his thousands of years of existence he had been in more than one battle with more than one kind of enemy. The Prior before him was an untested youth compared to him, and his inexperience shined through as his attack faded.

_**"No."**_ Mortanius intoned as his shield evaporated. _**"It belongs to them." **_He gestured towards the open doors of the Cathedral as something huge emerged, smashing through the stone archway as it squeezed it's bulk through.

Snorting flame as it stretched to it's full twenty foot height. It swung it's horned head to the left, then to the right. Watching the horrified humans as it's brothers and lesser cousins emerged from the place they had been summoned. It licked it's chops it considered the feast before it. Suddenly it roared in pain and surprise as a blast of red energy struck it in the gut, doubling it over and driving it back a step. It rose to it's full height once more as the pain subsided, shaking itself like a dog as the smoldering wound on it's belly closed up. It's eyes, twin orbs of molten lava that wept fiery tears, found the one who had struck it.

The demon roared.

The Prior screamed.

* * *

Kain stood in the gate room beside SG-1, watching the Stargate activate, the unstable vortex erupting and subsiding.

"You ready?" Mitchell asked him.

The vampire turned to him, raising a single eyebrow.

"Are you?"

Turning away, he lead the team from their world into his.

* * *

Now here's a chapter I'm actually kind of happy with. Right now I'm playing through Blood Omen again to familiarize myself with the storyline and I just bought the tenth season of SG-1. Always open to thoughts, especially regarding characterization.


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